Chapter 94

What a morning. Patty woke up at 8 a.m. to a churning stomach. She ran to the bathroom and heaved out the vile. She took a shower, threw on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, put her hair in a ponytail, and headed down stairs to the kitchen.

It was 9:30 and she had to be at Dalton’s by 11:15 for his surprise party. She didn’t want to spoil the surprise by being late. She had told Jackie she would bring a pack of hot dogs and coleslaw to the cookout. She had a chance to cut the cabbage and carrots yesterday, but she still had to mix the rest of the ingredients.

Rufus whined around her feet as she dug in the cabinet for a bowl. He wanted his breakfast. “Oh, all right, boy,” Patty said, flustered. She hated rushing.

At 10:50 a.m. Patty and Rufus were walking to Dalton’s house. Patty wished she could have driven because it was ninety degrees outside. She couldn’t drive because she didn’t want to park too close to Dalton’s house and mess up Jackie’s surprise. Goldman and his parents were goin